Engine.



.L. M. SHERIDAN.

ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED MAYIB I 1911:.

Patented Apr. 29,1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1- Witnes's Sf Attorneys L. M. SHERIDAN.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIB. I911- 1,302,442., Patented Apr. 29,1919.

4 SHEETS-SIIEET 2- Witnesses WMW L. M. SHERIDAN.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYTB. 1917.

Patented Apr. 29,1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

jsga

Witnesses Attorneys.

WASHING mu L. M. SHERIDAN.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY18, 1911.

1,302,442. Patented Apr. 29,1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

iii E Witnesses TED S ATES tit Enema.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

Application filetl'May 18, 1917. Serial No. 169,551.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LESLIE M. SHERIDAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at El Paso, in the county ofEl Pasoand State of Texas, have inventeda new and useful Engine, of which the/following is aspecification.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is adapted tobe employed as a rotary engine, as a pumpfor liquids, as an air compressor, as a vacuum pump, and for other purposes, but for convenience in description, it willbe' presupposed' that the structure is employed as a rotary engine.

One object of the invention is'to provide novel means wherebya rotary shaft'and a piston are coupled toget-her operatively, the piston having right-line sliding movement in a rotor, which, in itsturn, rotates in astat'or. I I

A further object of'the invention is to improve structurally, and in details which will be pointed out hereinafter, the" elements above enumerated.

A further object of the invention is to provide means" for cooling the internal working parts of the engine byymeans of a lubricant which is pumped to said: parts, as hereinafter described. V

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the" combina tion and arrangen'ient of partsand in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being I understood that chan'gs'e in the precise embodiment ofthe invention herein disclosed can bemade within the scope ofwhat is claimed, without depart ingfrom the spirit'of the invention.

In the accompanying'drawingsz- Figure lsho'ws in' side elevation, rotary engine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 i

Fig. 3' is a vertical longitudinal section taken" throu h an en ine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 4.- is a horizontal'se'c-tion ofth ens ne; a

Fig. 5 isasectional detail showing'a portion of the piston; and" Fig, '6 is afiagmental erspective showing a portion oftheiroto'r. k

The-engine herein disclosed consists of a states", an annular tens ring 6 disposed between end walls t and 5, and held thcrebctween. Side plates 7 cooperate with the end walls 4 and 5 to define water ackets- 8. The body or rnig 6 of the stator is circumscribed by a band 9, which, cooperating with the body 6, forms a water acket 10. The band 9 carries suitable connectlons 11 constituting, respectively, an inlet and an outlet forthe water jacket 10. It is obvious, however, that the water jacket spaces may b formed integrally with the parts wherewith they cooperate, in accordance with the common practice in gas engine design.

The end walls at and 5 of the stator are supplied with bearings .12 in which is journa-led a shaft 14. A hood 16 coacts with the end wall 5 to form a compartment in which certain operating mechanisms to be described hereinafter are housed. A fly wheel 17 may be secured to one end of the shaft let, but thefly wheel may be omit ted, if desired, since the rotor (hereinafter described) may take the place of a fly wheel, and render the part 17 unnecessary. The shaft 14c may be provided with the usual starting crank 18. The shaft l l is provided with a rectangular intermediate part 19 located within the contour of the stator.

The numeral 20 denotes a piston which is of approximately rectangular contour, the piston being supplied with a rectangular op'ening21 in which the rectangular part 19 of the shaft 14 is slidably received. The piston is provided with compartments 100 located on opposite sides of the opening 21, there being lubricant ports 102 forming communications between the compartments 100 and the opening 21. The piston 20 is provided'with parallel ends 22. The piston 20 is surrounded by packing rings 23 pressed outwardly by springs 24 so as to provide fluid-tight joints between the piston 20 and the walls 4? and '5 of the stator, and between theends 22 of the piston and the parallel walls 25of an opening 36 formed in a rotor 26. I

y The rotor 26is mounted to turn in the body or ring 6 of. the stator, between the endwalls' t and 5 of the stator, and comprises opposed parts 27 which may be tongue and grooved together as shown at 28, the inner edges of the parts 27 of the rotor being supplied with cooperating grooves 29 reeeiving a; paclicing 3G 'In'the inner faees of the parts 27 of the rotor 26, recesses 31 are formed, these recesses receiving compression springs 32 which tend to press the parts 27 of the rotor 26 outwardly in opposite directions, so that the rotor will coopcrate with the walls 4 and 5 of the stator. The end wall 4 is provided with oil ports 33, communicating with pipes 35, to the end that all movable internal parts of the device may be lubricated and cooled, as hereinafter described.

The end wall 5 has an intake port 35 which is adapted to communicate, at times, with the chamber 36 of the rotor 26. The intake port 35 is controlled by an inwardly opening valve 37 having a stem 38 mounted in the part 35. A spring 39 cooperates with the stem 38 on the valve 37 to hold the same normally closed. The valve 37 is adapted to be opened by a lever 40, cooperating at one end with the stem 38, and fulcrumed on a bracket 41 carried by the end wall 5. The end wall 5 is provided with an exhaust port 42 controlled by an outwardly closing valve 43 including a stem 44 mounted to slide in the port 42, the valve 43 being constrained to a closed position by means of a spring 45 cooperating with the stem 44. The valve 43 is opened by a lever 46 coacting with a stem 44, the lever 46 being fulcrumed on a bracket 47 carried by the end wall 5. The inner ends of the levers 46 and 40 carry rollers 48 or other suitable elements cooperating with a cam groove 49 fashioned in the hub 50 of a gear wheel 51 carried by a stub shaft 52 mounted on the end wall 5. The gear wheel 51 meshes into a pinion 53 secured to the shaft 14.

The numeral 72 denotes a spark plu ordinarily carried by one of the end waTls 4 or 5 of the stator and so located that it may cooperate with the chamber 36 in the rotor 26. For convenience in describing the operation of the structure, that portion of the chamber 36 which lies above the piston 20 in Fig. 3 may be described as constituting a compartment 70, that portion of the chamber 36 which lies below the piston 20 in Fig. 3 constituting a compartment 71.

Suppose that the parts are arranged as shown in Fig. 3. Then the piston 20 is at the limit of its upward stroke. The compartment 70 has been reduced to its smallest capacity, and a charge has been compressed in the compartment 7 O. The charge is fired in the compartment by the spark plug 7 2. Now there occurs an operation which will be denominated as operation A. The ex panding charge in the compartment 7 0 causes the piston 20 to slide 011 the rectangula-r part 19 of the shaft 14, and at the same time, rotation is imparted to the shaft 14. The piston slides in the chamber 36 of the eccentrically mounted rotor 26, and the rotor turns in the stator, it being observed at this point that the axis of the shaft 14 is not concentric with the axisof the rotor. 13y the time that the rotor 26 has turned through 180 degrees, the compartment 70 has attained a maximum size, the piston 20 being at the limit of its downward stroke,

which is a power stroke.

There now occurs an operation which will be called operation B, during which the shaft 14' turns through 180 degrees, the piston 20 returning to the position of Fig. 3, the compartment 70 being reduced to its smallest capacity, and the exploded charge being secured out of the compartment 70.

During operation C, the shaft 14 turns through 180 degrees, and the piston 20 moves downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3, the compartment 70 attaining) a maximum capacity, and a fresh charge eing sucked into the compartment 7 0.

During operation D, the shaft 14 turns through 180 degrees, and the piston 20 moves upwardly into the position of Fig. 3, the first charge being compressed in the chamber 70.

During operation A, the compartment 71 is reduced to a minimum size and the exploded charge in the compartment 71 is scoured out. During operation B, the compartment 71 attains a maximum size, and a fresh charge is sucked thereinto. During operation C, the compartment 71 is reduced to a minimum size, and the charge therein is compressed. During operation D, the charge in the compartment-71 expands, and the compartment 71 attains a maximum size.

By forming the cam groove 49 properly in the hub 50 of the gear wheel 51, and by properly proportioning the relative diameters of the gear wheel 51 and the pinion 53, the valves 37 and 43 will be so timed as to open and close in such a manner as to render the foregoing operations denoted as A, B, C and D possible. i

It will be seen readily that when the piston 20 moves on the squared portion 19 of the shaft, oil will be admitted by the ports 33 into the opening 21 and, through the ports 102 and the compartments 100, a thorough and adequate circulation will be efiected, the part 19 of the shaft exerting an important pumping action, and all working parts of the engme being properly lubricated and cooled. 1

When acting as a steam engine, the timing gears and cam-actuated intake and exhaust valves are removed, and the cycle of operation is as follows:

Steam is admitted through the port 35, and the pressure moment upon the shaft axis causes the piston, the shaft and the rotor to revolve until the intake opening is covered. The expansion of the steam causes a continued rotation until one-half revolution has been made when the exhaust passage 42 is uncovered, and the expanded steam is forced out. At another half revolution, the intake passage is uncovered and the cycle of operations is repeated.

In acting as a vacuum pump, a compressor, or a pump for liquids, the cycle of operations is as follows: The gas or liquid is drawn through the opening or port 35. This port is located in such a way as to remain uncovered for practically half a revolution. During the other half revolution, the discharge port 42 is uncovered and the gas or liquid is discharged into the vessel provided for receiving it.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed is 1. In a device of the class described, a stator; a rotor journaled in the stator and provided with a chamber having parallel edges; a piston in the chamber of the rotor and guided for right line movement therein by the parallel edges of the chamber, the

piston being equipped with an opening having parallel sides; a shaft journaled eccentrically in the stator and including'an intermediate portion received in the openin of the piston, the intermediate portion of the shaft having parallel edges cooperating with the parallel sides of the opening in the piston to guide the piston for right line movement transversely of the shaft; an inlet and an outlet carried by the stator and communicating with the chamber of the rotor whenthe rotor is rotated; valves controlling the inlet and the outlet; and shaft-actuated means cooperating with the valves to open and close the same.

2. In a device of the class described, a stator; a rotor journaled in the stator and provided with a chamber having parallel edges; a piston guided for right line move ment by the parallel edges of the chamber in the rotor, the piston having an OPBIlIIl ineluding parallel sides, and being provided with chambers disposed on opposite sides of the opening, there being lubricant ports in the piston forming communications between the opening of the piston and the chambers thereof, the stator having lubricant ports communicating at times with the opening in the piston; and a shaft journaled eccentrically in the stator and including an inter1nediate portion received in the opening of the piston and having parallel faces cooperating With the parallel sides of the opening in the piston to guide the piston to right line movement transversely of the shaft.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LESLIE M. SHERIDAN.

Witnesses:

M. O. STEvnNs, L. B. THOMPSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

